Skip to main content

tv   Happening Now  FOX News  October 1, 2012 8:00am-10:00am PDT

8:00 am
bold prediction one side is making how this debate will really shake out the race for the white house. plus the mysterious disappearance baffling two investigators today. no trace after brother and a sister after a house fire killed their grandparents. what is going on there? digging for clues to one of america's biggest unsolved mysteries. what happened to jimmy hoffa? the test results that could finally give us the answer. it's all "happening now." jenna: lot of great stories on this monday morning including this one. a bombshell report now confirming "operation fast and furious" supplied mexican drug cartels with weapons used in some of their deadliest attacks. we're glad you're with us everybody. i'm jenna lee gregg: i'm gregg jarrett in
8:01 am
for jon scott. this new report is now connecting the serial numbers of dozens of guns to a string of murders including the massacre of 18 men at a mexican rehabilitation clinic. william la jeunesse is following it all live from los angeles. william? >> reporter: gregg, you know many thought with that recent inspector general's report that the "fast and furious" story was buried for good. for a yeared at administration kept the most damaging information the fatalities in mexico, a secret. with univision's help we were able to something we knew, the serial numbers of guns to something we didn't a crime in mexico. to put a face on one of america's most embarrassing political scandals. a home covered in blood after gang members kill, 16, many teenagers at a birthday party in juarez mexico. many use in the massacre traced to "fast and furious". >> they are waiting for an
8:02 am
answer. they want to know what happened and why they didn't stop these guns from leaving the united states and ending up in this, in these crimes. >> reporter: spanish language network univision and fox news obtained a list of 100,000 weapons recovered in mexico and compared of the serial numbers with the 2,000 guns sold in "fast and furious." nearly two dozen matched, connectings untold number of injuries and fatalities to the u.s. program. this woman lost two sons to "fast and furious" guns. >> they feel helpless. they don't know what to do. we interview one of them and they say, who is going to pay for this? >> reporter: it could be the u.s. government, should the family of border agent brian terry prevail in their wrongful death claim. >> the people can go and sue in the united states with american lawyers that would be a very interesting development certainly. >> reporter: for its part the mexican government has
8:03 am
remained largely silent, unwilling to criticize its northern neighbor. >> our political elites only worried about obtaining the next position and they and benefits they obtain being in politics. >> reporter: now univision aired its one hour special last night. it alleged that the u.s. ran a second gun-running operation, castaway out of tampa, that knowingly supplied guns to cartels in colombia and honduras. the sad part of this, gregg, out of 2000 guns in "fast and furious" we can only account for about 800. so the karnage will continue for years to come. gregg: a lot of guns remaining out there. william la jeunesse in los angeles. thank you. >> governor romney fallen behind in the national polls. new polls out this morning iowa and ohio behind in both. we were laughing about the expectations setting on both sides but, governor romney has to shake things up, wednesday night, doesn't he. >> he is going to. every time mitt romney has been confronted in this
8:04 am
campaign with one of these moments he has come through in a debate and performed extraordinarily well, laying out his vision very clearly and also contrasting himself and his vision with whoever his opponent was at that time. i have absolute confidence, george, all you will be shaking your head it is a brand new race. jenna: new jersey governor chris christie, making a bold prediction, how about that? the bold prediction related to the first presidential debate saying governor mitt romney's performance against the president could very well change the entire race. but how important are presidential debates and how much do they really shape the outcome in november? we heard a lot. joining me someone who has done research on polling impact of past debates. larry sabato, director of center for politics at the university of virginia. larry, historically speaking how big of a deal are the first debates really? >> well it can be a dig deal, jenna. of course governor christie was right. he got off message as you know because part of the
8:05 am
amusing previous view to a presidential debate is the attempt by both sides to run down their own candidate. about how horrible a debater they are and the other side is so terrific. so governor christie may be committed a behalf by telling the truth. if you look historically, there is a pretty good chance that mitt romney can make up some ground. usually, not always, but usually the challenger to the incumbent just by standing on the stage and doing a credible job, can make up some ground against the incumbent. just, let me mention one example, jenna. you know in 2004, president bush was leading democratic challenger john kerry by 11 percentage points just fryer to the first presidential debate. right after the debate, which just about everybody thought that kerry had won, president bush was leading by only two points. and you know, it really didn't change a whole lot until the end of the
8:06 am
campaign. president bush won by three points. jenna: very interesting. we see senator kerry on the screen. a lot of things we talk about, larry, is turnout when it comes to this election and how important turnout really is going to be. do debates affect turnout? >> absolutely because the turnout battle is really a battle of enthusiasm in the two party bases and, you know the romney people have been pretty frank. paul ryan was very frank over the weekend in saying the ticket has had a tough couple weeks. when you have a tough couple weeks you're enthusiasm level can decline. a good performance in a presidential debate can gin party enthusiasm. that may happen on wednesday for either side. we'll have to see what transpires in the debate. jenna: we always have to wait to actually talk about it until thursday morning. >> that's right. jenna: let me go back to that appearance point that you made. just by having mitt romney
8:07 am
on stage with the president, many say that is what is going to make him look more presidential as you mentioned maybe create more support or inspire certain folks out there. "real clear politics" had an interesting article and unnamed democrat was quoted and i will quote him to you or her to you, larry because i would like your opinion on this. saying this is not a debate. this is a beauty pageant. people like a candidate through the heart, not through the mind this election is now about character and not about the economy. what do you think about, that, larry, a beauty pageant? >> i hope not and i don't think that is basically true. look, do people react to candidates as human beings? of course. but they also are fundamentally concerned about the country as whole. the basic issues of the campaign including the economy apply to people's evaluations of a debate. so, no, i really don't agree with that quote. i think it is entirely too
8:08 am
superficial in more ways than one. jenna: you might be fun to have it more like a miss america pageant. >> i do not want to see candidates in bathing suits personally the that's just my preference. jenna: we all have our own preferences when it comes to learning more about the candidates, larry as you rightly point out. we'll wait until wednesday night to see what we talk about on thursday morning. always nice to have you, larry. >> thank you, jenna, could be a talent contest. not just bathing suits. we're learning more about the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya as there are more calls for the united nations ambassador susan rice to resign. chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge live in washington with more on that. >> reporter: thank you, gregg and good morning. a congressional source confirming to fox news that uav assets were quote, repositioned to establish better situational awareness on the ground and monitor at least two suspects training sites in eastern libya known to be used by foreign fighters. we're learning more details about the attack itself.
8:09 am
the compound was reportedly assaulted on three sides with use of heavy weapons as fox was first to report, there were two waves to the attack strongly suspected inside information specifically use of mortars which hit consulate building and annex a mile away. here is republican senator bob corker this morning. they are demanding specific communications between ambassador stevens and the state department. >> at a time most americans would want to rally around our country at the death of four americans serving our country instead we've had this bizarre response which only leads me to believe, number one, there was gross negligence or incompetence involved or this administration doesn't want all of us to realize that libya may now be a failed state if the fbi agents who are well-trained can't even make it into benghazi. >> with growing calls for ambassador susan rice resign over her comments that benghazi was a demonstration spun out of control had
8:10 am
strong defense this weekend by senior obama cam main advisor. >> i was shocked to see representative king attack ambassador rice because she was acting on the intelligence given her to the intelligence community. to say she should resign, she is one of the most remarkable splendid public servants that is thoroughly irresponsible. >> reporter: two final observations about axelrod's comments. number one, susan rice went way beyond the assessment here given by the director of national intelligence and number two, what we're going to pursue today is the timing. when the director of national intelligence, that office, changed its assessment to terrorism. was it before the statements of susan rise on the 16th, or was it sometime afterwards, gregg? gregg: catherine, jenna. jenna: i want to ask you a quick question because we're following the libya story throughout the day. as you said so many questions remain. a story occurred this weekend. i want to ask you about this because of your experienced reporting at guantanamo bay. the youngest prisoner there
8:11 am
was released to canada and it was done very quietly and apparently according to one report, the canadians really didn't want to accept this prisoner but the prisoner went anyways. do you have any background information or anything to tell our viewers what we should make of this story? >> reporter: well a couple of observations having been to guantanamo as many time as i have. his family is like the bin ladens of canada. this is someone picked up on the battlefield. the argument was he was a child soldier but in fact he had killed a special forces medic on the battlefield in afghanistan. he did a plea agreement for about eight years, what was agreed he would, he would serve the majority of that time in acadian prison. canadians resisted taking him for obvious reasons. i think it is pretty noteworthy this went down friday at 5:00 where you bury all of your bad news here in washington. >> not only in washington, a lot of different places. certainly something we've been watching.
8:12 am
we haven't talked a lot about guantanamo bay. >> reporter: or failure to close it. don't forget that. jenna: especially during the election season. the big story there. catherine, thank you. >> reporter: you're welcome. gregg: all right, there is pretty big jump in number of americans who are the subject of the government's domestic spying program. we'll have the shocking details from a brand new report. and he was once the babyfaced base player on "the partridge family". now danny bonaducci recovering from what he calls an attack by a crazed fan on his famous face. we have . one is for a clean, domestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar.
8:13 am
though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now.
8:14 am
8:15 am
jenna: quick check on wall street right now. we're watching a little bit of a rally in stocks. you see the stocks up on the dow 157 points. just for some context. on friday we ended the week with some disappointing on the manufacturing sector when it came to one particular area of the country, the midwest. today we have another survey showing manufacturing orders are looking better than expected. that is giving the market a little bit of optimism all there are certainly a lot of dynamics at play. this week is very important when it comes to data because we have jobs report on friday. everyone talks about the election being about jobs and economy. we'll get a new reading on national unemployment on friday. today, monday morning, looks
8:16 am
like the dow is rallying 155 points. gregg: right now some new developments in crime stories we've been keeping a close eye on. convicted d.c. sniper lee boyd malvo calling himself a monster and feels like the quote, worst piece of scum on the planet. those coming in a newspaper interview marking 10 years since the start of his deadly rampage. former child star danny bonaducci is nursing a nasty bite wound apparently from overis cell he is fan. happened at an appearance at washington casino, don't you know. the person asked for a kiss before sink sinking her teeth into bonaducci's face. jenna: never happened to you. gregg: never. we're waiting testing soils results on a michigan home where investigators are searching for the remains of jimmy hoffa. a tipster came forward after he saw a body buried there
8:17 am
the day after the hoffa vanished in 1972. jenna: could be dramatic increase in domestic spying in our country. aclu coming forward with justice department documents with warrantless tasks on internet activity. have to watch my phone calls. steve centanni live in the washington, d.c. bureau with more on this. >> reporter: hi, jenna. aclu ringing alarm bells on surveillance activity on cell phones and internet. this doesn't monitor the content of phone calls and e-mails but the aclu questions the real necessity for gathering any of this type of data. >> this isn't about terrorism. these are regular law enforcement investigations, and this is, this is, investigating people's communications. these are, who they talked to. who they e-mailed. who they engage in online conversations with, their friends, family, colleagues and loved once.
8:18 am
>> reporter: here are some facts gathered by the aclu from justice department document. between 2009 and 2011 the number of orders for surveillance went up 60%. e-mails and network data, while smaller in number, increased by 361%. this type of information used to be gathered from devices attached right to the telephone but now, it can easily be retrieved by the phone company internally. aclu says it is done without a judge considering merits of the case. but the department of justice fired back saying in a statement, in every instance cited here the federal judge authorized law enforcement activity as criminals increasingly use new and sophisticated technologies use of orders used by a judge and strictly authorized by congress is essential for law enforcement to carry out its duty and to protect the public and investigate
8:19 am
violations of federal laws. justice department they say failed to provide information required by law since 2008 but since then cleaned up its act. jenna? jenna: interesting story we'll continue to watch, steve. thank you. >> thank you. gregg: disappearance of two young children baffling investigators after their house burned to the ground leaving no trace of the brother and sister. the boy's father is now speaking out. and, president obama underfire for his administration's changing explanations about what happened in libya. the killing of four americans including the u.s. ambassador. a case of bad communications, or, a bad cover-up?
8:20 am
8:21 am
8:22 am
jenna: right now we're take you to tennessee where police are searching for two
8:23 am
missing children. you're seeing them on your screen. they haven't been seen before their home burned down last week. patti ann browne live from our is that correct? newsroom with more. >> they lived with their grandmother. the remains of the grandparents were found after the braise. firefighters spent a week looking for evidence of 9-year-old chloe and 7-year-old gauge. they have not found any proof that the kids were there when the fire happened at 9:30 p.m. they were seen three hours before the fire started. did they run out of the blazing house or did they die in the house and their remains were incinerated? in case the kids are alive tennessee authorities are asking for the public's help in finding them. the kid's relatives meanwhile don't know what to think. >> it is very difficult. if we just had ashes, you know, their little bodies. but we don't have anything. >> reporter: investigators say the biological parents of the children are cooperating. the cause of the fire is still unknown.
8:24 am
jenna? jenna: what a mystery. we'll continue to watch it, patti ann. thank you. gregg: some of those withering criticism to date of president obama's handling of attack on our consulate in libya that left four americans dead including the libyan ambassador, comes from capitol hill, one of the most senior lawmakers on foreign affairs. >> that doesn't pass the smell test. it was either willful ignorance or abysmal intelligence to think that people come to spontaneous demonstrations with heavy weapons, mortars and the attack goes on for hours and there were warnings. gregg: richard grenell, joins us, former spokesman for the last four you know ambassadors to the united nations. good to see you. before the attack ever occurred americans were known to be in dank arer there. there had been aing string attal islamic militants. is it your sense that the obama administration was owe
8:25 am
live just to the known danger or they simply ignored it? >> you know, i don't know. i think we'll find out but it is clear that they missed the growing threats and they purposefully downplayed these threats. i think that's the trouble. gregg: sources have now confirmed to fox news that intel officials knew within 24 hours that this was a preplanned attack and yet the obama administration, the white house, the president, all of the individuals involved, spent the course of the next week or so denying that. what's going on here? is this incompetence? is it confusion, or, is it a deliberate, intentional cover-up? >> i think it is deliberate to downplay the threats because clearly the narrative that the obama campaign has been trying to push that usama bin laden is dead and al qaeda is crushed and we know that is not true. like a balloon, if you crush the balloon and just looking at the front of it looks
8:26 am
like al qaeda may be dead but you missed the fact that it is popping out in all these other areas. gregg: what white house press secretary jay carney and u.n. ambassador susan rice were telling the american people, not to mention the folks on capitol hill, was simply untrue. they were doing that for more than a week as we mentioned. now the latest offering up an explanation is general james clapper, the director of national intelligence. and here's his explanation and or excuse depending upon your point of view. we'll put it on the screen. in the immediate aftermath of the assault there was information that led us to assess that the attack began spontaneously following protests recaller that day at our embassy in cairo. do you buy that or is clapper being used trying to protech the president's reputation? what do you think? >> i think clapper has been wrong on several occasions. so there's a scramble to protect this narrative. i think the other really damaging piece here that he doesn't confront is that the
8:27 am
state department clearly knew from ambassador stevens's cable that is the threat was growing and that ambassador stevens himself was worried about his security. we need congressional oversight committee members to look at these cables. you don't have to release them to the public. they're classified. but congressional oversight members need to look at these cables. if ambassador stevens absolutely was clear about his concern that al qaeda was growing and the state department didn't do anything about it, we have a real trouble on our hands and the white house is downplaying this. gregg: that quote by the way was from clapper's spokesman speaking for hill. i want to play a clip now from the vice-presidential nominee paul ryan. take a listen. >> i mean, their response was slow. it was confused, it was inconsistent. they first said that it was a youtube video and spontaneous mob. we now know it was a planned terrorist attack. if this was one tragic incident, that would be a
8:28 am
tragedy in and of itself. the problem it is part of a bigger picture the fact that the obama foreign policy is unraveling literally before our eyes and on our tv screens. gregg: i suspect that is point you would share? >> the media and "new york times" owes mitt romney a apology. he was right. waited 15 hours, the concerns that silence and weak statement out of cairo was inappropriate response. he was right. the obama administration waited 15 hours as the administration developed. their first reaction was to go after mitt romney. the mead yu followed that and we're finding mitt romney was right. this administration had a very weak reaction to a growing threat and people need to wonder what would have happened if the president came out an condemned this hours as it was happening before the ambassador was killed. gregg: rick, thank you very much. appreciate it. jenna: more on that story throughout the day for sure. meantime a powerful typhoon
8:29 am
toppling trees and power lines and proving deadly. where this storm is hitting, we have that just ahead. plus independent voters, they were key to putting president obama in the white house but could independents be turning the other direction, more towards governor romney? a debate, fair and balanced ahead. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about that 401(k) you picked up back in the '80s. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 like a lot of things, the market has changed, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and your plans probably have too. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we'll give you personalized recommendations tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 on how to reinvest that old 401(k). tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and bring your old 401(k) tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 into the 21st century. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 rollover your old 401(k) tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to a schwab ira tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and you can receive up to $600. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 see schwab.com tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 for terms and conditions. >> aouncer: meet tom, a proud dad whose online friends all "like" the photos he's posting. oscar likes tom's photos, but he loves the access to tom's
8:30 am
personal information. oscar's an identity thief who used tom's personal fo to buy new teeth and a new car, and stuck tom with the $57,000 bill. [tires squeal] now meet carl who works from the coffee shop and uses the free wi-fi. marie works from there too. she's an identity thief who used a small device to grab his wi-fi signal, then stole enough personal information to hijack and drain his bank accounts. every yemillions of americans learn all it may take to devastate your life is a little personal information in the wrong hands. this is identity theft and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. lifelock offers the most comprehensive identity theft protection, period. ordinary credit monitoring services may take 30 days to alert you. lifelock's 24/7 proactive protection would have alerted tom as soon as they noticed an attack within their network, before it was too late. and lifelock's bank account takeover alerts could have notified carl in time to help
8:31 am
him protect his money. lifelock protects your social security number, money, credit, even the equity in your home. while identity theft can't be completely stopped, no one protects you better than lifelock, and lifelock stands behind that with the power of their $1 million service guarantee. you have so much to protect and nothing to lose when you call lifelock right now and try 60 days of identity theft protection risk-free. 60 days risk-free. use promo code: be secure order now and get this document shredder, a $29 value free. [♪...] call or go online now. [♪...] email marketing from constant contact reaches people in a place they're checking every day --
8:32 am
their inbox. and it gives you the tools to create custom emails that drive business. it's just one of the ways constant contact can help you grow your small business. sign up for your free trial today at constantcontact.com/try. jenna: "happening now", a big question. has the u.s. economy again slid into a recession? that's the debate apparently playing out on wall street as economists take a deeper look at some new economic data. some of what they are finding isn't good. liz macdonald is with us from the fox business network. one of the things we shared with our viewers that the dow is rallying today. you had better than expected news on the manufacturing sector but what are analysts saying now about the possibility of another recession? >> what we're hearing from wall street, there is serious debate whether or not we're in a double-dip recession. whether or not the u.s. economy has entered into
8:33 am
recession. we have a mixed picture of economic data but they're taking a deep dive into the economic data. take a look what john huffman of huffman funds is know saying, jenna. he says the u.s. recession is already in progress. he is saying that the u.s. economy most likely entered recession in the middle of this year. when we turn to what the federal reserve is finding in their surveys across the country you're seeing chicago, dallas, kansas city, philadelphia, new york city, richmond, all reporting from businesses that business confidence is slowing down and it is dropping. this the third straight month in a row that we're seeing this. average orders index of course negative for the fourth straight month. we've seen that. employment index at a low too. but the issue is the umpire, the referees who get to call whether or not the u.s. economy is in a recession or not, it is called the national bureau of economic research. and jenna, they have historically been slow to call whether or not the u.s.
8:34 am
is in a recession. you won't know until nine or ten months after the fact. for example, in 1970, back then the u.s. economy was in a recession. we only heard it was in recession from the nber eight to nine months later. in fact in the most latest downturn from 2007 to 2009, we basically, that was called, that recession was called in 2010. so you may hear after the fact that the u.s. economy was in a recession and it's not just two consecutive quarters of negative gdp growth. the nber, the national bureau of economic research, again they are the umpires who call u.s. recessions. they look across a range of data including productivity, employment numbers and the like. so it is not just that thumbnail, you know, two quarters, two consecutive quarters of negative growth. they get to call it and we haven't heard them yet. they're staying mum on this now. back to you. jenna: that would change the die namic in the political conversations. great reminder that data is
8:35 am
mostly backward looking. >> reporter: that's right. jenna: liz, thank you. >> reporter: sure, delighted. gregg: president obama and democrats continue to criticize governor mitt romney's statement that the country is becoming a entitlement society and yet, take a look at this. a "fox news poll" finds that 63% of likely voters think he is right. many americans are too dependent on government. and a similar "gallup poll" right after the democratic convention found nearly 2/3 of independents think government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. is there a disconnect between the president and independent voters? joining us now to talk about it, brad woodhouse. he is the communications director for the democratic national committee. sean spicer, the communications director for the republican national committee. good to see you both. brad, let me start with you. when democrats were polled on this, 64%, we'll put it on the screen, 64% said the
8:36 am
government should do more, not less. isn't the president and his party out of sync with the majority of americans 2/3 of independents, who believe the opposite? >> well, no, not at all. and in fact, this question doesn't get at the heart of what mitt romney said. i mean mitt romney just wrote off half the country saying that they were dependent victims. he wasn't talking about government programs. he was talking about people. he wrote off 50% of the people. this doesn't get to the heart of what mitt romney said. now the polls show that what mitt romney said has been disapproved, if you just play his remarks for voters, disapproved two to one by, you know, by voters. that is what we've been talking about. is what he said. and what he said was half the country wasn't worthy of his time or attention in this presidential election. gregg: sean, let me go to you. earlier this month a cnn poll found governor romney
8:37 am
leads president obama among likely independent voters by a substantial 14 points. 54%, look at this, to 40%. he also leads among independents in critical swing states like ohio and florida, and yet, "u.s. news & world report" points out there has been almost no mention of it in the media. i wonder why? >> well, i think what you are starting to see is that independents are largely part of the 60% of americans that think this country is off on the wrong track and right now that they are giving a stark contrast to what this election presents in terms of more government centered country or a free enterprise system that governor romney offers, one that rewards innovation and entrepreneurship. but the bigger thing that you also see in the numbers is, in eight of 12 battleground states the democrats really lost a lot of voter registration. when you look at battle ground states, in 2008, president obama won state like wisconsin by 14 points,
8:38 am
nevada by 13. new hampshire and iowa 10 respectively. colorado by nine. all the battleground states are dead-even. a lot of that is attributed to the independents say they are ready to come home. they're starting to pay attention to this race and ready for a clear choice to go with governor romney. gregg: brad, let me move onto another poll, a bloomberg poll. found one in five voters are what they call persuadable. and who are of them lean toward governor romney. 41% of those persuadables romney laid out a better economic vision compared to 25% say the president have. is the president in danger of losing persuadables and those votes may tick date the election? >> look, you won't find this surprising but i don't think so. you know, sean is, got some wishful thinking here. first of all, there are, wisconsin is not tied. these races are not tied. the president has a lead in the battleground states. and irrespective of what one
8:39 am
poll might --. gregg: not among independents is the point we were trying to make. >> gregg, mitt romney is not going to just be voted on by independents. i mean --. gregg: independents sometimes make-or-break a state or -- >> they may or, they may or may not but one poll on independents is not the final word on independents. gregg: generally they account for one in five voters that is a lot of voters. >> but, gregg, one cnn poll taken three weeks ago is not, is not going to be dispositive how the outcome of this election. gregg: that's why i put up the "gallup poll" to make sure it wasn't just one poll. >> look, gregg, there is not one battleground state, not one battleground state where the president doesn't have a lead including north carolina. gregg: i know, what you're not doing, brad, you're not breaking it down by voters, democrats, republicans, independents, persuadables. that is what we really wanted to look at here today because we found it rather interesting. sean, let me go to you for
8:40 am
the last question. >> 50% plus one --. gregg: veteran pollster, said undecided voters historically choose the challenger on election day. i will quote him from the "wall street journal." you would expect the remaining undecided voters to break not exclusively but disproportionately for romney rather than obama. does that make the wednesday debate and those thereafter more relevant, more vital for americans? >> i think a lot of people will be tuning in to kind of hear this contrast that exists. i think key word after four years, if you're happy with the economy where it is, where the debt where it is and as you point out the word is persuadable. i think we were persuaded in 2008 but now time for results and people aren't seeing them. so i think at this point what they want to do is continue from mitt romney and paul ryan to move america forward. >> that would be good if we could hear a plan. >> that didn't work out. that didn't work out. they want to learn more
8:41 am
about governor romney. gregg: one at a time. >> and move this country in new direction. gregg: brad, you get the last word. >> that would be great. if they would lay out a specific plan and that's what we would love to see in the debates. paul ryan said yesterday that he didn't have time to tell the american people about their tax plan. so sean, we'll hold governor romney -- >> let me comment. [all talking at once] gregg: revenue neutral. that means zero. was asked about the math. twice said revenue zero. that is a zero. that is the digit. that is the math. >> is the math is how you get there. that is the math. >> plan on the website. go look at it brad. >> doesn't balance, sean. >> unlike the president --. gregg: we could go on and on. brad woodhouse, sean spicer, gentlemen thanks very much. >> thanks, gregg. jenna: the threat of a nuclear armed iran one of the big topics when it comes to politics and when it comes to foreign policy.
8:42 am
the israeli prime minister sounding the alarm. we'll talk about the pros and cons withdrawing a red line with the rogue nation and talk about american leadership with a former advisor to six secretaries of state. he will join us next. plus look at this. nature's wrath. a powerful storm tossing a car around like a toy. we'll tell you where. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day
8:43 am
with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk.
8:44 am
severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver diase and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may ocr upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] there's a better way... v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8... >> we're seeing the ugly fruits of the obama foreign policy unravel around the world on our tv screens.
8:45 am
syria, you have 20,000 dead people. iran is closer toward a nuclear weapon. the middle east peace process is in shambles and we have our flags being burned all around the world. russia is thwarting us at every stage in the process. this is a weak foreign policy, with terrible results which makes us less safe. jenna: the opinion of the vice-presidential candidate there, paul ryan. right now we talk a lot about the economy and jobs as well as the number one issue for voters this election but recent events are pushing foreign policy to the front burner. republicans apparently see an opening with the president's handling of the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. governor romney out with an op-ed in "the wall street journal" laying out what he calls his vision for the middle east. reports indicate the republican nominee will give a major speech on for return policy after the first presidential debate on wednesday night. aaron miller is former advisor to six secretary is of state and he joins us now.
8:46 am
you advised secretaries of state who are republican, who are democrat and you've noted we've been in times and periods of tension and disconnect when it comes to the middle east before. what makes now different? >> jenna, it is a very good point and the republican, democratic thing is a good point of departure. i voted for republicans and democrats. i worked for democrats and republicans. the fact is the dividing line on these issues should not be liberal conservative, left and right, republican and democrat, it should be dumb and smart. america ought to be on the smart side. jenna: what is the smart side? >> depends own the issue. the attack on obama's foreign policy is accurate. in other respects it is not. reality what are the basic interests and needs we need to be following? number one, keeping america safe. the organizing principle of a nation's foreign policy is protecting the homeland of the if you can't protect the homeland you don't need a foreign policy.
8:47 am
on that one i think the current president has actually become, to some degree a more effective version. as we carry on george w. bush's policies. on israel i think some of the romney charges are accurate. the fact is that the president has gratuitously alienated the prime minister of israel on an issue frankly was not relevant, which was settlements. and i don't think, unlike bill clinton, and george w. bush, that this president has the kind of emotional sensitivity that think is required to create some measure of partnership with the israelis even though netanyahu is a difficult guy. on syria, look, let's be clear. we're coming off the two longest wars in american history. the last thing we need is another military adventure that isn't thought through very clearly. on iran, no matter who is president we have got big trouble coming. israelis rightly need to
8:48 am
figure out a way to prevent iran from enriching uranium. the question is, whether or not you can do that short of war? and right now, neither barack obama nor mitt romney, nor benjamin netanyahu have answers to that. so --. >> brought us through some very important regions in the middle east and it is such a big topic, i would like to drill down and return to one of the things you pointed out. the difference between being smart and stupid when it comes to foreign policy let's talk about priorities especially now in this election season where it is easy to be distracted and what is the biggest threat to our national security? if you look at the middle east what is the number one threat facing american security today? >> well i would still continue to believe protecting our people, clearly at home, and abroad, avoiding another attack with conventional, is certainly unconventional weapons against the continental united states is the single most important priority. there is no question. beyond that, it is maintaining access to the
8:49 am
region's oil reserves. not necessarily for us, but in large part, we're waning ourselves off arab oil. it is our allies who aren't. that is a second reality. jenna: when you say unconventional threat to weapons, talking specifically about iran or nuclear weapons or chemical weapons? what specifically are you speaking of there? >> well, again i think we're safer as a consequence of policies pursued under the last administration and this one at home but we're not entirely safe. there are still transnational groups that would love to get their hands on chemical weapons for sure biological weapons. there is no question about that. basically, jenna, i think we have to figure out how and when we're going to use american power. and we have to get beyond slogans. the fact is the arab spring or i would argue the arab winter, is in large part out of our capacity to shape and to control.
8:50 am
we need to do what we can to support them economically. if there's a policy we can support opposition groups, fine. but iraq and afghanistan show unmistakeably the limits to our capacity to create nations abroad. we have a hard time fixing our own problems at home and in january those problems will loom large. we just have to be a lot smarter when we project our power. jenna: we always look forward to talking to you and having you back. that question, how and when to use american power is good one for the upcoming debate. maybe we'll get that there if we can. aaron, always having you back. >> pleasure. gregg: aaron would be a good moderator. jenna: like him on that. gregg: let's recruit him. sounds like something out of science fiction but scientists say they developed medical devices that dissolve safely inside the body. we'll have that story coming up
8:51 am
or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today.
8:52 am
8:53 am
8:54 am
8:55 am
8:56 am
8:57 am
8:58 am
8:59 am
9:00 am
9:01 am
9:02 am
9:03 am
9:04 am
9:05 am
9:06 am
9:07 am
9:08 am
9:09 am
9:10 am
9:11 am
9:12 am
9:13 am
9:14 am
9:15 am
9:16 am
9:17 am
9:18 am
9:19 am
9:20 am
9:21 am
9:22 am
9:23 am
9:24 am
9:25 am
9:26 am
9:27 am
9:28 am
9:29 am
9:30 am
9:31 am
9:32 am
9:33 am
9:34 am
9:35 am
9:36 am
9:37 am
9:38 am
9:39 am
9:40 am
9:41 am
9:42 am
9:43 am
9:44 am
9:45 am
9:46 am
9:47 am
9:48 am
9:49 am
9:50 am
9:51 am
9:52 am
9:53 am
9:54 am
9:55 am
9:56 am
9:57 am
9:58 am
9:59 am
4:34 pm
jenna: some very interesting medical news for you. scientists say they have developed medical devices that do the work they're designed for on side your body and then, just dissolve. what happens to them? that is the question we have for dr. ernest patty, senior attending physician at st. barna bass hospital in the bronx. doctor, what are we talking about here? medical devices that dissolve, come on. >> small electronic devices.
4:35 pm
call them transient electronics made out of silicon and magnesium. they're covered in a silk cocoon. they use the silk because the silk is absorbed by the body as well as silicon and magnesium. jenna: what is scenario where someone may have a medical device you're describing? >> the field is broad. we can use them for measuring temperatures and measuring different levels of hormones. right now we have devices we implant into the body. you know of pacemakers, insulin pumps things like that. the problem with those devices they need to be surgically removed once the useful life are gone or done. these things are exciting because you program them to last for certain period of time, months, years, days. once they dissolve they're gone. the body absorbs the electronic components. jenna: when you say absorb electronic components it sounds a little weird and kind of dangerous. >> let me explain they're extremely small. i brought a small example. i don't have one of the
4:36 pm
devices but this is a sim card which would represent a small side of a electronic circuit board like this which is made out of very minute amounts of silicon and magnesium and silk. they absorb in water and body absorbs them. jenna: you're an emergency room doctor. you see folks come in with a lot of different issues and problems. do you see any risk to this. >> obviously if it is a large size, jenna. if we're talking a big device that potentially could be a problem. you would have high amounts of chemical components that make the circuits. we're talking minute amounts the body can handled and absorb and excrete. isn't that amazing? jenna: when you think of stuff we put in our body maybe a big mac, maybe a medical device is not that big of a deal. >> they're extremely small and it is wide open to be using these things and not having to retrieve them. jenna: maybe you ingest them eating a hamburger at the
4:37 pm
same time. now we're getting into different area. wishful thinking. >> thank you. jenna: gregg. >> as jenna mentioned earlier cool but kind of creepy. jenna: exactly. gregg: we're going to get some new word of the violence that is taking place in afghanistan today. an updated report. comes as america is marking a grim milestone on the war there. we have a live report from afghanistan. new allegations of bias in election coverage. paul ryan says the mainstream media wants president obama to be reelected but is he right? our news watch panel is here to weigh in on that [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare?
4:39 pm
that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they help save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and you'll never need a referral to see a specialist. join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp... and provided by unitedhealthcare insurance company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it. with all the good years ahead, look for the experience and commitment
4:40 pm
to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decision guide. gregg: it is so on, the president and mitt romney hun h u.n. kering down to get ready as both sides say the media is on the side of the other guy. jenna: we will tell you where dangerous storms, even tornadoes could be on the way. the latest from the fox news extreme weather center. gregg: surprise, more trouble with the law involving lindsay lohan, this time a congressional staffer at the center of the real life drama for lindsey. brand-new stories, breaking news on a new hour of "happening now." jenna: lindsay lohan in politics, is that where we're starting off today? gregg: a little something for everybody today. new political fallout from the
4:41 pm
deadly terror attack on our consulate in libya, the obama administration still struggling to get its stories straight. welcome to a second hour of "happening now" i'm gregg jarrett in for jon scott today. jenna: i'm jenna lee. this is a constantly changing situation, they are keeping up with the investigation. the sunday talk shows taking a close look at how the white house handled the attack that killed our ambassador and three other americans on september 11th. the shifting descriptions of what happened have really garnered a lot of attention. top members of the president's nue to giveion, his re-election conflicting accounts. in the meantime the president is spending the next few days in the swing state of nevada getting ready for the first face off with governor romney on wednesday night, the first debate. the president telling a crowd in las vegas he's just okay at he debating. chief white house correspondent ed henry is live in las vegas.
4:42 pm
the administration is sending mixed messages on libya. tell us more about that. >> that confusion started on the sunday talk show circuit a couple of weeks back when ambassador susan rice did several of the shows and did not declare this was a terror attack, insisted it was a spontaneous reaction to the anti-muslim film. i've spoken to u.s. senior officials that stand behind the fact that they insist in the early days of this susan rice was correct, that was the assessment of the intelligence community. beefewe've also got information from sources that within 24 hours, the intelligence community within 24 hours of the attack new it was terrorism. more days have passed and back on the sunday show talk show circuit you have one obama adviser saying they did use the word terror the day after the attack, you had another adviser say, wait we weren't clear it
4:43 pm
was terror, take a listen. >> the president called it an act of terror the day after it happened, but when you're the responsible party, when you're the administration and you have a responsibility to act on what you know and what th the intelligence community believes. >> i think now based on the recommendations and the intelligence committee they made the decision to conclude it was a terrorist aback. in the days after that was not clear. >> the romney camp clearly sees an opening here. that's why they've been hitting the president hard. they think this is symptomatic of confusion within the president's broader foreign policy, especially policy towards the mideast. important to remember that wednesday's first debate in denver is all about the economy and domestic issues not about foreign policy. governor romney won't be able to hit the president so much on libya. this first debate is about the economy. jenna: one of our viewers on twitter just asked the question about how libya and the middle east might woma come up in this
4:44 pm
debate even if it is a domestic policy. we'll be talking to bear air in a few minutes about that. we understand the president is in nevada, that's why you are there. why nevada for debate prep? >> it's a battleground state, it's nearby to colorado and other battle grounds, he gets some coverage here in the local media market, it also gives him an opportunity, you heard david pluff talking about libya on a sunday show, he was down-playing the president's expectation saying he's not such a great debater, he hasn't done this in four years since debating john mccain where as mitt romney had all this practice. even last night the president was trying to downplay his expectations. >> who is going to put the most points on the board? [you are ] >> no, no, governor romney, he's a good debater. i'm just okay. but what i'm most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to
4:45 pm
do to keep the country growing and restore security for hard-working americans. >> i'm just okay the president says in terms of debating, although i remember back in tpwaeut 2008 he did a pretty good job against hillary clinton. a pretty good job with john mccain. by the way, no sign of lindsay lohan here yet. jenna: where are the celebrities going to come in next. ed you're better than okay. back toed as news warrants in las vegas. i gregg: if she was there you would know it. jenna:ed would be all over that. gregg: the man who wants president obama's job also getting ready for the first debate. governor mitt romney will be heading to denver a bit later today ahead of the big battle wednesday night, he'll hunker down preparing for the crucial race. john roberts is already live in
4:46 pm
denver, john, what is the governor doing to get ready for this big debate? >> good afternoon, to you. currently the governor is in boston engaging in a little bit of debate preparation. his wheels up about 3:00 this afternoon headed for denver and a big campaign events at the wings over the rockies air and space museum, hence the b52 over my right shoulder here. governor romney up until very recently has been trying to make this election a referendum on president obama. he is now slowly changing the rhetoric to make this a choice between two very different visions of where the country will be four years from now. no matter how you slice it governor romney really needs a game-changing moment here. could it come at the debate on wednesday? new jersey governor chris christie certainly seems to think you. >> i'm here to tell you this morning it can happen very quickly back the other way. come thursday morning the entire narrative of this race is going to change. >> very, very obviously the governor didn't get the memo about raise the expectations of your opponent while reducing
4:47 pm
expectations for your own candidate, it's something that congressman paul ryan governor romney's running mate knows very well. look at how he put it to chris wallace on fox news sunday. >> i don't think one event is going to make or break this campaign. look, president obama is a very -- he's a very gifted speaker. the man has been on the national stage for many years, he's an experienced debater. he's done these kind of debates before. this is mitt's first time on this kind of a stage. >> they are saying that president obama has done eight of thaoerbgs while mitt romney has done 23 of those presidential debates during the primary season, he's never had the very important one-on-one that he'll have on wednesday here in denver. gregg: john, what about foreign policy? where does that fit into the picture here at all? >> it's not going to figure into the picture very much in the debate on wednesday, that will be all about domestic policy. as the governor goes after the president on domestic policy he is also going after him on
4:48 pm
foreign policy. an op.edu in the "wall street journal" he said about president obama, by failing to maintain the elements of our influence and by stepping away from aur allies press has heightened the prospect of conflict and instability. he does not understand that an american policy that lacks resolve can provoke aggression and encourage disorder. governor romney will be talking a lot more about this next week. he's planning a big foreign policy speech. while this week's debate is all about domestic policy, the vice aldebate and the following two presidential debates will also include foreign policy. gregg: good stuff. john roberts live in denver. thanks very much. jenna: as john was mentioning foreign policy might not play a big role in the debates but events in libya, syria, iran and afghanistan certainly are all in the headlines right now. john roberts showed us a little bit about governor romney's op-ed that was published in the "wall street journal." he says, amid this upheaval our
4:49 pm
country seems to be at the mercy of events rather than shaping them. we are not moving them in a direction that protects our people or our allies and that is dangerous. as the middle east descends into chaos if iran moves towards nuclear break out or if israel's security is compromised american could be pulled into the maelstrom. a brand-new national poll of likely voters showing a very tight race, the president leading governor romney by 2 points, a sta advertise ta cal high. bret baier will be live at a particular suburb, a major battleground suburb, and bret baier is joining us now. let's talk about the timing of this. they say international issues won't be a part of this debate but you have the romney campaign publishing this editorial today which is all about foreign policy. what do you make of the timing? >> well, sure, i mean this issue is clearly on the informan
4:50 pm
front burner because all of the news coverage now finally because of the libya situation and how it was handled from the very beginning. that, obviously, has not subsided yet and you have the concerns about iran and the president not meeting with world leaders at the united nations fresh in people's minds. and i think the romney campaign wanted to get involved in that with this opinion editorial and we are hearing that a speech is in the works. but john is right, this debate is about domestic policy, this debate is about the economy. and gym lehrer, the moderator will focus on that, and it's hard to imagine how it gets off to those other topics. jenna: let's talk a little bit about where you are in arapaho county. some say how this county votes will be the reflection of the
4:51 pm
election overall. we've sent a lot of time talking about mitt romney, what do people want to hear from the president specifically. >> arapaho county is one of the roughly 30 swing counties we identify through the country that will likely decide this race in swing states. there are two big ones in colorado, arapaho and jefferson. we talked to folks all around the past couple of days. there is truly a big split, anecdotally not talking about polls but just talking to folks on the sidewalk. obviously you can imagine that the economy and jobs is really a big factor here. the unemployment rate is a little bit higher than it is in the state-wide unemployment rate. and when they want to hear from the president and frankly from governor romney is how they can turn everything around. they want to hear how the country is going to be better in the next four years. most of them have talked about looking forward not looking
4:52 pm
back. i think both candidates probably could take some pointers from those folks. you're going to hear a lot of them on special report tonight. jenna: just really quick here, bret how specific do they want each candidate to get. we hear back and forth, they want real specifics, no they want great personality and leadership, the specifics are not that important. what are you hearing from voters. >> the people we talked to pretty much across the board were pretty much into the weeds on both sides. they wanted to know what exactly was going to happen, how it was going to affect them and how either person was going to turn the country around. the obama supporters say give the president more time, he hasn't had enough time to turn it around, the romney supporters say, listen it's just a failed operation and this is a businessman who can turn the country around. i think it's really a swing state, and this is a swing county inside a swing state. it's going to be fascinating
4:53 pm
over the next 48 hours. jenna: it makes it all the more interesting to watch your reporting tonight. thank you very much, bret baier will be part of our coverage at the debate. you can catch it right here on your election headquarters on wednesday night starting at 8:55 eastern time, certainly a debate not to be missed at all. gregg: it's going to be a good one upwards of 50 million expected to be stafpg. jenna: larry sabato says more people say they watch the debates than actually do. gregg: they are kind of ashamed they didn't really watch? there is no football that night okay? congressman paul ryan slamming the media, they are supposed to be eupl pars albut the republican vp nominee says the press is backing the president, is that fact or fix? our news watch panel will be weighing in on this. jenna: folks feeling an earthquake and it's in the in california. the quake mitting where people are so not used to shaking.
4:54 pm
a grim milestone, a big milestone we've reached, the number of americans killed reaching 2,000 in the war and there is more violence today. our very own con tpho colonel oliver north is with our troops in afghanistan. he'll bring us a live report next. with the spark cash card from capital one,
4:56 pm
sven's home security gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! how does this thinwork? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% casback on every purche, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the ark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? here's your invoice.
4:57 pm
gregg: the united states recognizing a grim milestone this morning. 2,000 americans service members killed in afghanistan since this war began 11 years ago. it happened sunday when two troops were killed after a fight broke out with afghan soldiers at an army check-point. today 14 people killed when a homicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into a nato patrol the tal la tal lan claiming responsibility for that.
4:58 pm
joining us now is con tphol oliver north. fox news analyst. >> gregg, it is a lot of bad news, no doubt about it. we have good news from this northeastern portion of afghanistan. today we went out on a patrol with the afghan local police, a good news story that is not being much reported accurately at least, except on this network. just a little bit of what we saw today. here is what we've seen with these locals and their u.s. advisers. this is an afghan local police outpost manned by afghan local policemen recruited in this valley and supplemented by u.s. special operations personnel. back home we constantly hear about the so-called green on blue problem. as you can see right here there is nothing like that. the goal eventually, pushout posts like this all the way north along this valley until this is the sovereign territory of the government of afghanist
4:59 pm
afghanistan. gregg, this is one of those senior special operators, he's a senior chief, a u.s. navy seal, he's been out here nor some time doing this kind of duty, remarkable in trying to build an afghan security profile with the afghan local police. i'd like him to tell you about an interest dent today, go ahead, chief. >> i can tell you on the route in today, without any assistance from us a former aop member trained by u.s. eod cleared eid's in the road. he had already taken care of those for us and we continued onto come out here and be with you. >> there are 16,000 local police trained by special operators like this and conventional forces. are providingstory is they are security in parts of afghanistan that otherwise wouldn't have it. the goal is to let them assume responsibility for their sovereignty. i want to make sure the senior chief says hello to some folk at
5:00 pm
home. >> i'd like to say hello to oliver north's wife and i'd like to let her know we are taking good care of him last night. >> thank you, senior chief. gregg, it is a good news story and it's not much reported. it is a sobering statistic 2,000 americans killed in this war, thankfully we have great ones like the senior chief out here continuing in the fight, with that afghan local police detachment that we are embedded with right now. gregg: our thanks to all the men and women there, our hearts go out to them, our prayers and thoughts, and ollie take care of yourself. we'll check back with you. will the colonel oliver north. jenna: new hampshire holds the first in the nation primary and this year it's also a key battleground state with just four electoral votes where is it so important to the general election in we'll dig deeper into that.
5:01 pm
we are tracking severe weather including potential tornadoes. we'll tell you where the storms could hit. janice dean is here after the break. this is anna, her long dy teaching the perfect swing begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye.
5:04 pm
gregg: welcome back. we are your election headquarters. with just more than a month until the big day we are taking a closer look at some of the key battleground states that could decide the race for the white house. today we want to take a look at the state of new hampshire, the yellow states, all 12 of them, those are battleground states. let's examine new hampshire now. the economy is 5.7 unemployment rate, well below the 8.1 national average. look at a gallon of gas, double what it was when the president took office. the 15th highest foreclosure rate in the nation, one in 894.
5:05 pm
and mitt romney has visited three times as many as the president. the population fairly small state 1.3 million. electoral votes 4 out of 270 may not seem like a lot, but in 2000 if al gore had won new hampshire there would have been no hanging chad. the democratic governor and major tourism and agriculturement here is the latest real clear politics average of polls. there is a 3-point difference between the president and mitt romney with president obama on top. we have the senior reporter from the telegraph newspaper joining us from new hampshire. folks in your faith are fiercely independent. anyway to gauge how the independent-minded folks are leaning. >> new hampshire's independent
5:06 pm
population makes up 40% of the election threat. by far they are the biggest and the holy grail for winning new hampshire's four electoral votes. in the last several weeks we've seen mitt romney support among indianas saga bit. indianas are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. emphasizing the debt and the deficit is very important for a candidate to appeal to independents. mitt romney during the presidential primary here that he won convincingly eve emphasized that a great deal and i think that helped him with indianas. we are without a sales tax and income tax. people understand here that financial decisions have consequences. i can recall in 2000 when john mccain talked about the debt and the deficit the bush campaign at the time said what is he talking about? john mccain beat george bush here by 20 minutes in that prime rare re. bush retooled his message and barely won new hampshire by talking about the debt and the deficit. gregg: kevin in 2010 the last
5:07 pm
election there, if i understand it, if i recall correctly i think republicans won almost every office, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen that way this year, the pendulum could begin to swing in the other direction? >> that's correct. we had the largest republican sweep for a legislature of any state in the country in 2010. four years earlier in 2006 the democrats took control of the legislature at all levels of power for the first time since the civil war. we are used to this pendulum swinging back and forth. 2000 goes to george w. bush narrowly. 2004 john kerry wins the state narrowly. it was an anomaly when barack obama won in swaeut by almost ten points against john mccain but it was because he talked about taxes and the deaf sits. i go back to these eupbzs. he not only said i won't raise taxes for people earning $250,000 he said aoeult cut the deficit for four years. they saw that as fiscally responsible. that's why many independents are
5:08 pm
disappointed with barack obama on that issue and that is something for mitt romney to exploit. gregg: governor romney owns a pretty nice violation home in your state, spends allots of time there, he's opened nine different offices throughout new hampshire he's been campaigning heavily, of course during the primary it was very important for him. juxtapose that to president obama, how good is his ground game in new hampshire? >> his ground game is very good particularly in the last particulars months. the president has been here three times. vice president joe biden has been here seven times in the past year, every week they've had dozens of staff on the ground in new hampshire for obama for months and months, got a real head start on canvassing, phone calling and motivating that democratic base that had been sagging a year ago. that is almost up to the same level of intensity of republican support for mitt romney and that's what makes this race so close and i think it will stay close all the way to
5:09 pm
november 6th. gregg: kevin, great to see you, thanks so much for your incites. jenna: you talk about the ground game and voter turn out, what about absentee ballots, what about legislate the troops vote while serving overseas. we'll tell you next what the pentagon is doing to increase voter participation by our military men and women, that is ahead. plus a rare spider. looks creepy. gregg: albino spied jeer that spider was discovered a long a highway and because it was discovered construction on a highway project worth millions of dollars was stopped. we'll tell you why next. [ male announcer ] in a world where breakfast
5:10 pm
has become boring and steless... only one man can save the day. kellogg's crunchy nut! ♪ sweet and nutty crunchy nut! [ male announcer ] honey sweet flakes with nuts in every bite. it's super delicious.
5:11 pm
then you may be looking for help in choosing the right plan for your needs. so don't wait. call now. whatever your health coverage needs, unitedhealthcare can help you find the right plan. open enrollment to choose your medicare coverage begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so now is the best time to review your options and enroll in a plan. medicare has two main parts, parts a and b, to help cover a lot of your expenses, like hospital care... and doctor visits. but they still won't cover all of your costs. now's the time to learn about unitedhealthcare plans that may be right for you. are you looking for something nice and easy? like a single plan that combines medicare parts a & b with prescription drug coverage? a medicare advantage plan can give you doctor, hospital
5:12 pm
and prescription drug coverage all in one plan... for nothing more than what you already pay for part b. you'll also have the flexibility to change doctors from a network of providers dedicated to helping you stay healthy. plus with the pharmacy saver program, you can get prescriptions for as low as $2 at thousands of pharmacies in retail locations like these, all across the country. call now to learn more. unitedhealthcare has the information you need so you'll be better prepared when making medicare decisions. maybe you'd just like help paying for your prescriptions. consider a part d prescription drug plan. it may help reduce the cost of your prescription drugs. with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare has been helping people live healthier lives. remember, open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. we can help. call unitedhealthcare
5:13 pm
to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you. call now. ♪ jenna: fox news weather alert for you now. we are watch a bad round of storms that could bring heavy winds and the potential for tornadoes across florida, alabama and georgia. meteorologist janice dean is live in the fox news extreme weather center. hello j.d. >> we have potential of severe weather, clash of two air masses, cooler dryer air and moisture air ahead of it. severe storm warning for the borders of florida, alabama and georgia. we could actually see proceed station later on today. a slight risk for these areas, including montgomery, panama city up towards huntsville we could see tornadoes later on. future radar keeps the system up
5:14 pm
towards the ohio river valley then scooting across the northeast. by wednesday but we are going to have the some vee severe threat tomorrow as well for the ohio valley. make sure you have your nooah radios handy. this is nadine, 19 days we've seen nadine in the atlantic one of the longest-lansing tropical system ever. it will probably make the records. the good thing it's just spinning out there. jenna: is there an end to tornado season? >> we can have a tornado any time of year but we're actually entering the second season of tornadoes. we get them in the spwreupbg time and fall because of the change of the seasons, the cooler air mass moving into the warmer air mass. jenna: soon enough we'll be in snow season. >> wah-wah. jenna: it's only october 1st we have a little while. >> we do.
5:15 pm
jenna: thank you. gregg: america's military fighting for our freedom including the right to vote, but a huge percentage of our armed forces serving overseas never get around to casting their absentee balance loss. chief washington correspondent james rosen is live in washington with more of that. >> reporter: the privately funded military voter protection project calls 2012 a bleak picture because the group sees a steep decline in the number of absentee ballots being requested by military personnel. 84,000 u.s. troops are presently deployed in afghanistan and military members are generally more likely than civilians to find themselves away from home. accordingly the request for absentee ballots by military personnel are a strong indicator of the voting rates. they rely on sketchy data to promote the higher voting
5:16 pm
rates. the pentagon has not spent the 20 million neat needed to provide the officers required to set up at all installations. this comes from a survey of the states conducted in august. absentee bath lot requests in florida down by half. in virginia they amount to little more than 1% of the swaeut numbers. in ohio and north carolina the absentee ballot requests by military personnel are 1 1o 10 of what they were years ago. in florida less than 15% of military voters have requested ab bent tee ballots, that is 104% for virginia and scarcely better in ohio and north carolina. the numbers are bound to have improved somewhat as we enter october but the difference is unlikely to place 2012 on par with past years. we spoke with pam mitchell the
5:17 pm
director for the federal voting program. she told us we are in complete compliance with the law. she says f. v. a. p. the federal voting assistance program strives to be sure that every overseas voter has the resources to cast and return an absentee ballot and have it counted. we continue to evaluate our efforts. to the military that might be responsibility we note this is a personality responsibility to goat. you can go to f. v. a. t..goff and get that absentee ballot. gregg: well done, james rosen in washington. jenna: a thineee spider causing a huge road block in sa san antonio, texas. this rare, rare spider is putting a $15 million traffic construction project on hold. casey stegall and i have both established that we don't like spiders already on twitter but we promise a fair & balanced
5:18 pm
report on this record lwhat is ? >> it's so funny because you and i were talking 0 twitter on how we loat her, spiders. wait until you hear what is going on for drivers in san antonio, construction of this under pass started in april and it was scheduled to be finished this summer. we are talking about a very busy spot on the western side of san antonio for people who have been down there right near seaworld, thousands of cars funnel through that particular spot on a daily basis, and this construction project was designed to ease some of the traffic tangles, but then as crews were going about their business this little guy showed up amid the orange cones and bulldozers. the braken bat cave mesh weave srefrplt it hadn't been seen in 30 years. scientists thought it was is teupbgt. it's about the size of a dime high school no eyes and lives
5:19 pm
underground. because the spider is even angered the pwra*eubgs wer brakes were put on the construction. >> we do still feel an obligation to the travel public and we need to address the safety, we need to address congestion, at the same time we're responsible stewards of the ecosystem. >> now they say this rare spider might not seem like a big deal but it has to be studied because it's possible it could be beneficial to humans. we just don't know. but for people who live in this area, those who travel texas 151 and loop 1604 every day they are steaming mad. the project has been put on hold indefinitely and many just cannot understand how a little spider can be responsible for bringing a $15 million project to a grinding halt. listen. >> traffic is real badest specially taking the kids to school or picking them up, or just getting from here to anywhere in town basically.
5:20 pm
>> that guy said in fact that he would have stepped on this spider if he would have seen it to get this project going again, the texas department of transportation tells us they are reevaluating its plans, two different federal agencies now involved including u.s. fish and wildlife service and one of the plans, jenna, are you ready, could be scrapping this project all together. can you believe it? jenna: you're kidding. great question from a member of our crew. did they just see one spider at the construction site? was there just one little spider, or was it like the movies when all the spiders came out at once. we are trying to wrap our head around this. casey. >> it is a good question and it was just this one little spider. this area is sort of known for having some endangered species in it. there was actually a biologist on staff with these crews and as they were going along they discovered this underground cave, it was about six feet deep, and this one spider was
5:21 pm
discovered down in there. they took it, sent it off to a lab, it turns out it was this particular endangered species and now the project is on hold, everything is sitting there on idle, jenna. jenna: we'll see if it does become the spider that is beneficial to humans. could be. in the meantime we'll see what happens with the $15 million project. thank you. gregg: i'm surprised swub didn't just squash the spider. jenna: so insensitive. gregg: the itsey-bitsey spider i'll never sing that again. both campaigns hitting the sunday circuit accusing the media of rooting for the other side. a fair assessment? our news watch panel will be weighing in next.
5:23 pm
stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement.
5:24 pm
if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? gregg: wel welcome back. both campaigns khraeuping media by as as the race goes to the home stretch. here is vice-presidental nominee
5:25 pm
paul ryan on fox news sunday. >> do you think the mainstream media wants barack obama to win. >> you'll have to ask mainstream media that. >> what do you think. >> they want a left of center president versus a conservative president like mitt romney. gregg: here is white house senior adviser david plouff weighing in on the same issue. >> is this race over? >> absolutely not. >> you don't look like a guy who thinks they are going to come become and tie it in ohio. >> well 3:00 in the morning i wasn't sleeping because you worry about everything. first of all there is some benefit from having gone through this before. there are going to be ups or downs. we know the news media is anxious to write the romney recovery and come back story. gregg: let's bring in jim pinkerton a contributing editor writer for the american conservative magazine. alan colmes, host of the alan colmes show and the author of thank the liberals for saving the economy and why they should. >> you find that funny. gregg: i surely do. what about
5:26 pm
it, jim, media by as, is ryan's point fair? >> since 1986 when the authors li chter, lichter and roctor said the media were libya by 4-1. i don't think that is in dispute. it's only if it spills over into their professional work. i think on that store the evidence from 2012 is pretty clear. i'm looking at a headline from the daily beast, why mitt romney is trapped by his neglect any of narrative. who wrote that -- who created that narrative? it wasn't romney or ryan it was the media, they've done it to him. gregg: alan let me cite a couple of things. "the washington post" opls buds man admitted a obama by as at one time.
5:27 pm
and reporters were scolded and urged to be more balance and fair and not so proobama. he aop lee admitted the newspaper's vie last. isn't that an admission of it? >> that's why it's good for them to have a public editor to ride herd on just like "the new york times" does. gregg: is it system i be i can. >> i don't think it's systemic. even if you were to say a lot of the people in the media are liberal, as jim said does that mean they skew things in favor of their personal opinion. doesn't romney have a no whine rule and didn't chris christie say on the sunday talk shows on "meet the press" that once you start complaining you're losing? i didn't see plouffe was complaining. >> also in july nbc news admit they'd they were over polling democrats, isn't that also a form of by as?
5:28 pm
>> sure it is especially when you take a poll ever couple of days and put the results on the front page. look, the media are doing more polls than the candidates are right now. look, in august mark halpren of time magazine, certainly a pillar of the media establishment, he's on tv all the time. he wrote that book about the 089 campaign said the media are quote miley susceptible to the obama campaign. what the obama campaign wants, including david plouffe. of course he's happy he's not on the receiving end of this like ryan is. >> i'd like to address that i'm die srergt the issue which i don't believe i am. you're setting this up so when romney loses which seems increasingly likely you can blame the media or the pollsters because they skewed too democratic. there is a narrative being developed to try to make an excuse should romney not do well in the election. gregg: don't you think it's not
5:29 pm
only the way some journalists, the stories they pick but the way they tell the stories, and that is reflective apparently quite openly in "the new york times," and likely other publications as well as radio and television. >> who is the they? caved carr has a piece in the new york times. you're going to say i know it's the liberal new york times, about the cable news with conservative hosts and how the mainstream media means more than just the main street media or "washington post." people get information from digital media more and more so it's not just about the three networks. gregg: alan colmes, jim pinkerton, great to see you both. jenna: a debate that will continue. gregg: forever. jenna: from now untilee tern tee. the supreme court is back in session today ready to take on hot topics. shannon bream now reporting the court could even at some point revisit the president's healthcare law. how about that? she joins us live next. [ male announcer ] when these come together,
5:30 pm
and these come together, one thing you can depend on is that these will come together. delicious and wholesome. some combinations were just meant to be. tomato soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.
5:33 pm
an early morning scuffle apparent lee with a former congressional aid at a new york city hotel. gregg: surprise. jenna: lindsey getting involved in politics here one way or another. patti ann has the latest for us. >> yes, lohan reportedly met 25-year-old christian labella at a pha* manhattan hot spot early sunday morning. they went back to the hotel where lohan was staying. at some point she looked at his cellphone and discovered photos and videos of herself taken earlier in the night. she demanded that he delete them, he refused there was a scuffle. lohan pulled the fire alarm and 911 was called. she told police he grabbed her, threw her on the bed and choked her until her assistant had to pry him away.
5:34 pm
labella was arrested and charged with assault. hours later the charges were dropped and his arrest voided. police say the accusation cannot be substantiated. he is an aid to an illinois congressman, lives in california and his facebook page sports photos of him with kardashian and vice presidental candidate paul ryan. he describes himself as a former child actor. he and lohan have both now filed harassment complaints against each other. jenna. jenna: thank you. gregg: new information just coming in from the u.s. supreme court involving a challenge to president obama's healthcare law. liberty university, a private christian university wants a lower court to consider some key issues concerning that law that were not decided by the supreme court. it's possible the case could end up back in front of the supremes. shannon bream is live in washington with more on that. >> well if we thought the supreme court was finished deciding the fate of the healthcare law think again. there is the smallest indication
5:35 pm
today that one of the original obamacare plaintiffs may get another shot today. the court asked the federal government to respond to a request for a rehearing by liberty university . while that does not mean the supreme court is ready to take up this case again right away it is cracking the door open for the university to renew its arguments against the healthcare law. liberty university filed one of the first cases against the law and got as far as the fourth circuit, that is one step below the supreme court where it was turned away. that court essentially said that a somewhat obscure law from the 1800s blocked the case meaning it didn't even allow the university to argue the merits of the case. fast forward to the supreme court june ruling on the healthcare law. the first thing the court did was say that that old law this the 1800s did not block the case. it went of course onto update the original mandate. because it removed that old law, that barrier that liberty university faced at the lower court the university immediately asked for a new chance. the university says it still wants to argue over issues the court did not decide in june, namely the employer mandate.
5:36 pm
by asking the government to weigh in today the supreme court is signaling its open to allowing liberty to restart its legal challenge, it would first go back to the fourth circuit but the very next stop would be, once again the supreme court. gregg: we could have part two coming up. two, we're ready. gregg: i know you are. shannon bream. thanks very much. live in washington. jenna: an update on a very important story we told you about last week. fears of a world-wide bacon shortage. gregg: say it isn't so. jenna: well the warnings echoed across grocery store isles last week. the truth next. gregg: i love bacon. well, if it isn't mr. margin.
5:38 pm
mr. margin? don't be modest, bob. you found a better way to pack a bowling ball. that was ups. and who called ups? you did, bob. i just asked a question. it takes a long time to pack a bowling ball. the last guy pitched more ball packers. but you... you consulted ups. you fod a better way. that's logistics. that's margin. find out what else ups knows. i'll do that. you're on a roll. that's funny. i wasn't being funny, bob.
5:39 pm
i know. jenna: well, some new information on a story we brought you last week that really, really concerned gregg. gregg: yeah. jenna: some folks calling it bacon jageddon, a worldwide bacon shortage due in part, we should mention, to the effects of the drought in the united states.
5:40 pm
pork supplies will decrease slightly next year, but the idea of a widespread shortage is, quote, bologna. [laughter] come on. gregg: fairness to jenna, that was their quote. jenna: it was really a quote, not something we're just trying to

235 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on